"They detained me in the presence of Andrei Malakhov, a deputy head of the UVD (Interior Department). As soon as I got out of the minibus (fixed-route shuttle taxi), militiamen came up to me and invited to go with them to the ROVD (District Interior Division). They explained that I had failed to pay a fine for an administrative offence. There, at the ROVD, they searched me, and took away all the money, information carriers and telephones. I have to care of my incapable father, but was forced spend that night at the SIZO (pre-trial prison)," said Galina Smirnova.

At the ROVD they told her that the reason for her detention was not the fine that she had not yet paid, but her repost in the social network “Odnoklassniki”, which allegedly contained an appeal to come to a mass event. The witness of this offence was Sergey Rudsko, the head of the division of protection of public order and prophylactics, who said that he often visits Galina’s page in this network.

It is worth noting that militiamen are not in a hurry to return the confiscated belongings and money back to Galina Smirnova.

"They have stated they doubt that I would be able to pay the fine; therefore, the confiscated objects would be used to pay the fine," said the union activist.

She filed two complaints against the actions of law enforcers to the Prosecutor's Office of Bobruisk.

In the opinion of Yuri Belyakov, a lawyer of the REP Trade Union, the militiamen have grossly violated the law in relation to Galina Smirnova:

“According to the law, a citizen has 30 days from the date of receiving a judgement to pay a fine. This time is given for the citizen’s voluntary payment of the fine. Upon the expiry of this period, the fine should be collected by court marshals. That is, we see a gross violation here: not only that fines should be collected by court marshals, not militiamen, but the legitimate term for paying the fine has not expired yet. Law enforcement bodies do what they want and they think that they will get away with it," Yuri Belyakov has summed up.

This is the second trial of Galina Smirnova over the past 10 days.

On March 15, Galina Smirnova was fined by 30 base units (690 roubles) for organizing an unauthorized protest against the ordinance "on parasites". In anticipation of the court judgement, she spent two days at the IVS (temporary detention facility).